September 20
by MlleHibou
Summary: McGee has a secret, and it's all about to come to light when the government votes to repeal DADT. (Yes, this is old- I wrote it ages ago and finally have the guts to post it. I'm not good at finishing stories.)


**Author note: I am not part of the military, everything here is from what I've researched or friends (who ARE in the military) have told me.**

 **I do not own NCIS, and make no profit from this story. I just like to play with other people's characters :)**

 **CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is okay, anything rude will be ignored.**

 **July 6, 2011**

Tony looked up as Tim walked into the squad room. He noticed the tense lines around his friend's red eyes.

"New hairstyle, Probie?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow. Tim looked startled as he ran his fingers through his soft hair. It was falling into his eyes because he hadn't styled that morning and, if he had to admit it, he was in rather desperate need of a haircut. He shrugged and fired up his computer.

"Running late." He mumbled. His personal phone made a noise and Ziva was impressed with the quickness with which he pulled it from his pocket. A brief look of frustration crossed his face before he put the phone down and began work.

"You are never late. Did she forget something?" Ziva asked casually from her desk.

Tim looked up with a frown. "What?"

Tony scoffed and aimed a ball of paper at Tim's garbage bin. "Your girlfriend, McLover. It's been obvious for a while now, you can drop the act." Tony missed just as Tim rolled his eyes.

"I don't have a girlfriend." Tim said with an air of resignation. Tony would be after him all day.

Tony laughed. "Yeah, right. All the signs are there: late nights, your new look, the clingy messages…" Tim's phone pinged again and Tony motioned to it, proving his point.

Tim checked it more casually than before. He knew had to relax. "It's not a girlfriend, Tony. Maybe I wanted to get in shape for me, maybe I'm working on another project." He said cryptically.

Tony's curiosity rose. "You writing a new book, Probie? More suspense and murder with Agents Tommy, Lisa and Tibbs?" He eagerly leaned forward.

Tim simply kept on checking his email. "Maybe, and no."

"So yes, you're writing a new book, but we can't be in it? You sick of us?" A smack to the back of the head made Tony wince.

Gibbs passed by. "Don't know why he wouldn't be." He said casually. Tim stifled a smile and sat straighter.

"Case, boss?" Tim asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Gear up. We've got a dead petty officer at Annapolis." Gibbs tossed McGee the keys. "Gas it up."

Tim looked at his boss who gave him a small nod, a nod which could mean anything. _Oh, it's definitely going to be a long day_ , Tim thought as he quickly left the squad room, waiting until he was in the elevator before sending a text.

 _Got a case. Boss gave ME the keys. I might be late._

His phone buzzed just as he came back with the truck to see the team waiting.

 _I see I'll kick your ass in that friendly little game of poker sooner than you think. You won't like it._ Tim's eyes widened at the return message, but he schooled his expression as he handed Gibbs the keys. Gibbs merely raised an eyebrow in question, but Tim just quirked a smile.

"Friend of mine just told me they're at the scene as a witness." He said, translating half the message he'd been sent by the cryptologist. The other half, that they would have to keep quiet how well they knew each other, went unsaid.

Gibbs paused in surprise and turned back to Tim. "Friend of yours, McGee?"

Tim held his expression and nodded. "Yes, boss." Gibbs regarded his agent for another few seconds before nodding and climbing into the SUV. Tim slid into the back and opened his computer to do research on the way. He had just finished bringing up the information on the dead petty officer when he felt he was being watched. He looked up to see Ziva and Tony looking at him curiously. "What?" He asked.

"You look good with your hair like that." Ziva said.

"Is it true? We actually get to meet your friend? I didn't think the McGeek had friends." Tony said in mock surprise. His surprise turned real with Tim glared at him vehemently.

"I have friends, DiNozzo. Just because you haven't met everyone in my life doesn't mean they don't exist." He turned back to his computer. "The victim's name is Petty Officer George McMillan. Stationed at Annapolis training in cryptology, looks like all good stuff in his records. He was 25 and just transferred from the USS Ronald Reagan." _So that's why Nick is there. They worked together in The Crypt._

"The Reagan is back?" Tony said with surprise. "Oh I really hope we don't end up having to go aboard. Is she still docked?"

A few clicks of his fingers told him what he already knew. "Yes, she's in port for maintenance and ships out tonight." They arrived at Annapolis and parked behind an academy security vehicle. The NCIS Medical Examiner's van was already there. Tim stowed his laptop and grabbed his gear. He took a deep breath in preparation before following the team to the crime scene. Nick had said he wouldn't like this. People were milling about as they entered the main building. A sailor seemed to be waiting for them at the entrance. He was about 6 foot and had dark hair, cut into the military standard. He was lean, yet his face didn't seem to Gibbs to be one of a man who had seen much combat. His blue eyes seemed to sigh with relief when he caught sight of Tim and the team.

Tim nodded in greeting. "Hey, Nick."

Nick clapped Tim on the back and grinned, but Gibbs could see the tenseness in his posture. "Long time no see, man. Too bad it couldn't have been in better circumstances. You still owe me a beer."

Tim quirked a smile. "Hey, you lost that game. Don't-" A cough interrupted him. He grinned at his boss. "Yeah, sorry boss. This is PFC Nicholas Sawyer. Nick, this is Special Agent Gibbs, and Special Agents DiNozzo and David. Oh, and our ME Dr. Mallard and his assistant Jimmy Palmer." The team looked around to see that the two doctors had indeed joined them.

"I'm glad to finally meet you all." Nick noticed that Tony seemed to be staring at him in fascination.

"What's your connection?" Gibbs asked. Nick stood almost to attention.

"He worked for me, but he just transferred here two weeks ago when the Reagan came into port, so I didn't know him well. I'm also the one who found him." Tim winced at Nick's admission. "I'm take you to the scene." A raised eyebrow from Gibbs made him clarify. "It's in the basement and you need clearance, Agent Gibbs, which I have. I also figure you'll be wanting to talk to me."

"What's in the basement?" Ziva asked as they made their way to the scene. The crowd parted to let the Navy cops through. Tim's phone pinged in his pocket. Luckily no one on the team noticed. Tim stopped briefly, putting down a case of supplies to check and set the smartphone to vibrate.

"The Crypt." He said and Tim almost snickered. At Ziva's blank look, Nick explained further. "Center of command for Cryptology here at the Academy. Information and Technology."

"Hey, that's right up McGeek's alley." DiNozzo said as Nick's card let them into the center.

Nick shook his head. "Perhaps, but I'm a CTI. I know that's not Tim's specialty." At DiNozzo's blank face, Nick turned to Tim and gave him a ' _Wow, you weren't kidding'_ look. He turned back to DiNozzo. "Cryptologic Technician Interpretive. I'm a linguist."

"Ah. Languages. I know some Italian, but Ziva here speaks about 25." Tony said and turned into the crime scene.

"Ten, actually." Ziva corrected. Security was there waiting and Tim had the camera out to take photos before Gibbs even said anything.

"Ziva, witness statements. McGee, photos. DiNozzo, sketch and bag." They nodded and got right to work. Ziva started to lead Nick off to the side.

"Hey Tim, we'll catch up later, yeah? Call me if you need anything." Nick said, looking straight at Tim.

Tim blinked but nodded. "Sure thing, Nick." Nick let himself be led away by Ziva while Tim and Tony started working.

"So, ten languages?" Tim heard Nick say in a semi-flirtatious tone. He shook his head and got back to photographing.

"PFC Sawyer didn't seem too comfortable on his way here." Tony commented as he took out the fingerprint kits.

Tim stopped taking photos of the room and glared at his partner. "Gee Tony, wonder if that had anything to do with finding the body of someone he worked with this morning."

"What do we got, Duck?" Gibbs came over, coffee in hand. Tim relaxed slightly in relief as Tony's response was cut off. The body was resting limply in a chair in front of a bank of computers, but it wasn't until Tim walked around to the front that he saw what made Palmer and Ducky so solemn. Written in the petty officer's blood and splayed across his forehead was the word ' _fag'_. Tim almost dropped his camera in surprise. Anger quickly boiled up inside him and he clenched his teeth to keep his emotions inside. Gibbs stopped halfway through a sip of coffee and put his cup back down. "Jeez."

"Indeed, Jethro. I think we can see what the motivation was. Cause of death was most certainly blood loss and the stab wound to the heart, but the poor man took quite a beating beforehand." Ducky was saying as Palmer prepared the cart for the body. Ducky held up the officer's scratched fingers. "Defensive wounds on his hands." Gibbs placed a hand on Tim's shoulder, making him jump slightly. The look Tim received from his boss wasn't one of reproach, but of duty. The young agent nodded, straightening and moving closer to the body so he could take photos. As he looked up, he noticed Ducky watching the exchange.

"Sorry." He muttered. Ducky returned to his examination of the body.

"TOD, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky looked at an instrument. "His liver temperature tells me that he died approximately four hours ago. I think we're done here. Let's get him back to NCIS and let the team process the scene." Ducky said to Palmer. Tim helped keep the rolling chair steady as the two lifted the Petty Officer's body onto the gurney. Before Ducky zipped up the bag, Tim quietly stopped him and rested his gloved hand near McMillan's face.

"May I?" Tim asked quietly. Ducky and Palmer paused, but then Ducky nodded. Tim gently closed McMillan's eyes and stepped back with a sigh. He continued taking photos and collected the bagged evidence Tony left in place. Ziva came up to the team and gave her report.

"PFC Sawyer says that he and McMillan were on the early morning shift. It starts at five am."

"That's our TOD. Why didn't Sawyer call it in earlier?" Gibbs demanded.

Ziva flipped through her notes. "He was at a conference in Virginia all weekend, and he arrived back this morning by train around 6. He didn't need to report in until 7."

"Can anyone confirm he actually went?" Gibbs asked.

Tim cleared his throat. "I picked him up from the train station at 6:15. His train was late, I watched him get off of it."

"Sawyer said the same thing." Ziva mentioned. Gibbs looked at Tim intensely and finally nodded. He jerked his head towards the door. "Let's find the C.O."

Tim handed the camera to Ziva and followed Gibbs out of the room.

"Gibbs!" Ziva called from the The Crypt. Gibbs poked his head in the door with his infamous _what?_ expression. Ziva cleared her throat. "Sawyer said that Don't Ask, Don't Tell is supposed to be decided upon today. It is expected to be repealed." Gibbs sighed and left. Tony stood and stared in the direction they had gone. Ziva watched him and took a photo. The flash snapped him back to the present.

"Jeez, Ziva. Did you have to do that?" He complained. She smirked.

"You were zooming."

"Zoning, Ziva. Does something seem different about Probie today?"

Ziva raised an eyebrow. "He changed his hairstyle, and he was late. Everyone has their off days."

Tony shook his head. "It's more than that. What's up with the phone? I heard it vibrate twice while he was taking photos."

"Perhaps he is waiting to hear from somebody. Maybe Sarah is travelling." Ziva offered. Tony shook his head.

"He would tell us something like that. Why wouldn't he tell us something?"

Ziva snorted in response and pointedly looked at Tony.

…

Once they arrived back at NCIS, they got to work researching.

"Petty Officer McMillan was known to the people in his old unit to be gay, but there were not any reports of problems until he transferred here." Ziva supplied as they stood around the monitor.

"Why did he transfer?" Gibbs demanded.

Tony brought up the image of a transfer request. "Request says he was needed here. PFC Sawyer confirmed this, says he put in the request for another experienced cryptologist to help with training. McMillan's COs had nothing but good things to say so Sawyer asked for McMillan to be transferred. Sawyer says McMillan also wanted to be back in D.C. to be closer to his sister."

"Problems came up regarding the CO, CPO Mark Jennings. In the last three months, crew members have reported being uncomfortable in his presence, said he felt hostile. He apparently routinely denied leave and benefits to McMillan and other select Petty Officers. Not much is documented, though." Tim stated. "Jennings' phone records and bank accounts show no suspicious activity. I'm checking the other officers from the unit now." Tim's phone buzzed, indicating he received a text message. He smiled slightly when he saw it was from Nick, but niggling worry led him to check the message. Nick rarely messaged him while he was working regular hours. If he was working late and might need food, yes, but not if it was the middle of the day.

 _Something isn't right._ The message read.

Gibbs watched as Tim's eyes widened. His junior agent went to his desk and made a phone call. He paced as he waited for the person to answer. Gibbs watched McGee's mouth and read his lips. _Come on, come on, come on… dammit!_

"McGee!" Gibbs barked.

Tim was flipping through his contacts with growing tension. "Nick just texted me saying 'something isn't right'. He's not picking up. I'm going to call another of our friends, they work together sometimes." He put the phone to his ear and sighed with relief when his friend picked up. "Ross, hey, have you seen Nick? When? Shit. You see him, you keep him with you. Yeah, I think so. No, just go back to what you were doing. I'll keep you updated. Thanks." He hung up and pocketed his phone. "Gibbs, Nick went to pick up lunch an hour ago. He was supposed to bring something back for Ross, but Ross hasn't seen him."

Gibbs grabbed his sig. "All right, let's go. DiNozzo. I need you and Ziva to take the other car and canvas."

Tim and Gibbs were soon in the car and on their way. Gibbs was the obvious choice of driver to Tim, though Tim knew at this point he would have easily broken traffic laws to get to Annapolis. Tim anxiously checked his phone and remembered the tracer program he'd created and installed. He immediately started a search, but when Nick's phone showed as untraceable, Tim almost flung his own through the window.

"Take it easy, McGee. We'll find him. He probably just got waylaid somewhere."

Tim sighed and put his head in his hands. "No, boss, you don't get it. I've had a bad feeling about today. I knew something would happen because of that stupid fu-um." Tim's ears turned red and he bit his lip. He wasn't sure how much Gibbs knew, but at little outburst certainly clinched the deal.

"DADT." Gibbs stated, keeping his eyes on the road.

Tim cleared his throat. "Um."

This time Gibbs did look at his junior agent. "I'm not stupid, McGee. I've suspected for a while, I just didn't care. How long have you and Nick been involved?"

This was not a question Tim expected from Gibbs, or anyone. He and Nick had done their best to cover their tracks because of DADT. "Nick's a friend." Tim said with a straight face.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Next time you lie to me, McGee, make it more natural. Your face is too still." Tim sighed and rested his head on the window. Gibbs continued speaking as they sped through a red light, emergency lights flashing. "Tim, I don't give two shits about DADT. I'm not going to say anything to the Navy whether or not it's repealed. I care about you and how you're doing. He might be a target if this bastard is lashing out at gay sailors."

Tim's eyes widened. "Boss, we – we've been so careful. The only way someone would know is if they've been watching us. Er… privately. Except Ross. He knows, but he wouldn't say anything."

Gibbs turned into Annapolis. "How long, McGee?"

Tim sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's been serious two years next month." He hesitated, then reached into the collar of his polo and pulled out a thin chain. Gibbs examined the two charms which hung together. A plain gold cross hung in front of a silver circle upon which N & T was engraved. Gibbs let the charms fall back onto Tim's shirt. "He wears the same. If asked, he could say it's a girlfriend but neither of us has had to lie much."

"Never took you as religious." Gibbs stated.

Tim smiled and tucked the necklace back inside the polo. "We attend a small church near my apartment. It's a safe zone."

"Safe zone?" Gibbs asked with a frown.

Tim quickly pulled up an image on his phone. "Places around the city put up this sticker in the corner of a window to mark it as a safe zone. Someplace where the LGBTQ community can go if they feel threatened or don't want to have to worry. The priest at this church is sympathetic and we see a lot of gay couples there, but we don't show ourselves as a couple. Actually, it's rare when we can go together. Usually one or the other of us is working. And actually, I think I saw McMillan at the church this last week." Tim frowned, trying to remember.

Gibbs committed the image to memory. The people in his neighborhood already knew he was in law enforcement, but if he could paint this on his mailbox it might end up helping someone someday. "We should talk to the priest."

"First we need to find Nick, boss. I'm really worried about him." Gibbs nodded once, pulled into a parking space, and they left the SUV. Tim was barely five feet into the building when someone was yelling his name. He turned to see Ross, a spindly African American man with almost black eyes. The man came up close and spoke quietly.

"Tim, I still haven't seen Nick but CPO Jennings hasn't been around either. I'm telling you, Tim…" Ross looked around and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"What?" Gibbs demanded. Ross straightened up and kept tight lipped, but glanced at Tim.

The junior agent clenched his fists. "You're saying it's gotten worse?" Ross nodded minutely. Tim swore. "Where were you guys getting lunch?"

"The uh…" Ross looked uncomfortable. Tim narrowed his eyes.

"Ross, I know he's eating junk behind my back. Why do you think we eat so healthy when we're together?"

Ross looked surprised, but then laughed. "Okay. The Chinese place two blocks that way." He pointed in the direction their SUV was pointed. "I met him here to give him money and watched him leave. He walked. He hasn't been reported UA yet because of the murder this morning, COs figure he's trying to organize his base of operations elsewhere til the crime scene's clear. They've put the students in extra language classes for now, but someone's going to notice soon that Nick isn't here." Tim and Gibbs were already inching to the door.

"Thanks, Ross." They quickly made their way to the SUV.

"McGee, you walk, see if you can pick up any clues. I'll meet you at the restaurant."

"K, Boss. I'll send Jennings' photo to your phone." They parted and Tim started walking the route he knew Nick often took to get to the forbidden take-out joint. Trying to put himself into Nick's mindset for the day, he cut a path through the park and kept an eye out for anything. His work phone rang. "McGee."

" _Tim, Tim, Tim! That phone you wanted me to trace just turned back on. I'm sending the coordinates to your_ good _phone."_

Tim frowned. Why was Abby tracing a phone, unless… unless Tony asked her to because he couldn't. "Nicholas Sawyer?"

" _Yep! If he's got his phone with him, he's still on Academy grounds."_

Tim's heart skipped a beat. He checked his phone and plugged the coordinates into his tracer program. Within seconds he was able to see how far he was from Nick's phone. "Thanks, Abs." He hung up and realized what the coordinates were telling him. He called Gibbs. "Hey boss, I've got coordinates on his cell. Come to the park. Go to the fountain and then go…" He squinted at the phone. "North." After confirmation from his boss and ignoring the command not to do something stupid, Tim hung up and immediately started running in the direction of Nick's phone. He'd done his boss the courtesy of a phone call, he wasn't going to sit around and wait for him.

The coordinates led to the old gym which had yet to be torn down. He pulled his sig and quietly walked around the building, looking for an entrance or viewpoint. He found a small window which let him see the training room, where two figures were fighting. It wasn't until he saw the flash of metal in one of their hands that he covertly entered through the next door.

"NCIS, drop the weapon!" He hollered into the room. The older, bigger man was distracted enough for Nick to get a good punch in before he staggered back and leaned against the wall. Tim kept his gun trained on the other man, whom he recognized as CPO Jennings, Nick's CO. "Nick, you okay?"

Nick was out of breath, his hand on his shoulder. Tim saw a dark patch under the hand but forced himself to stay focused. "Yeah. Good timing, though."

Tim circled a glaring Jennings. "Drop the weapon." Jennings regarded Tim for a moment, his eyes on the gun, and dropped the knife, a smirk on his face. Tim stepped closer. "Hands on your head, get on your knees." Jennings complied, and though Tim felt uneasy about cuffing him alone, he went for the cuffs and moved his gun to his left hand only. Before he knew it, Jennings had lunged for the knife and lashed out at Tim's gun hand, cutting him and making the gun fall and slide away. In the brief scuffle which followed, Tim was finally able to use some of the hand-to-hand combat Nick had been teaching him. Jennings was tough, but soft. He had spent too much time behind a desk and his reflexes were slower. Tim, however, was slender and quick. It wasn't until he missed the punch to his jaw that he ended up on his ass, Jennings standing over him with the knife he had used on McMillan and Nick.

"NCIS! Drop the knife, Jennings!" Tim heard Gibbs' voice echo in the gym.

Jennings sneered at Tim who was struggling to stand. If one could glare real daggers, the look Tim was giving Jennings would kill.

"Can't even fight your own battles? Fucking fags. There's a reason this war is failing, and it's all because of you _freaks_." Jennings spat the last word.

Tim straightened and kept his eyes on Jennings, now only six feet away. "I accept that you disagree with our way of life. But you murdered Petty Officer George McMillan. That's unacceptable and you're going away for an incredibly long time."

Jennings glared maliciously at Tim. "Yeah, the freak deserved what he got. And you're one of them…" Jennings lunged at Tim, who dodged and in a twisting move which shocked his team and Nick, had Jennings pinned to the ground with his face in the mat.

"Still think we can't fight our own battles?" He whispered into Jennings' ear. Tony ran over with a pair of cuffs and soon had Jennings walking away.

"Oh, sorry, do those hurt? They must be too tight." Tony said with forced cheerfulness. Tim ran to Nick's side, getting there at the same time as the academy paramedic. Nick's shoulder was bleeding, the stab wound looked deep.

Nick reached up and grasped Tim's hand. "Glad… glad to see all that work… paid off." He said a little breathlessly. "Damn this hurts." Tim's heart pounded as he watched the paramedics get Nick onto a stretcher.

"Yeah well, I had to show off sometime." They chuckled, but when Nick winced in pain Tim looked at the paramedics, panicked. He leaned down and spoke in Nick's ear. "I don't think they'll let me ride with you, but I'll be following you."

"Sir, we need to get him to Bethesda five minutes ago. He's bleeding too much to wait." One man said as they loaded Nick into the ambulance. Nick said something to the man in the ambulance and the guy looked at Tim, who seemed lost. Gibbs was standing behind Tim, glaring pointedly at the hesitant medics.

"Hop in." The EMT made room and Tim climbed up next to Nick, wincing when the slice on his hand was pulled open. When the EMT closed the doors, he noticed the blood Tim's hand left on the handle. "Hey man, you hurt?"

"Agent McGee." Nick said from his stretcher.

"Who?" The EMT frowned in confusion.

Tim rolled his eyes and wiped the sweat off of Nick's forehead. "He means me. Special Agent McGee, NCIS. And yeah, Jennings got my hand but it's not a big deal. I'll have our ME look at it later." Tim said, keeping his focus on Nick.

"Tim, let the guy take a look." Nick said.

The second EMT watched as Tim seemed about to protest, but caved. Tim held out his hand and suddenly realized that not all of the blood was Nick's.

"Jeez, this isn't 'no big deal'." The EMT said as he grabbed gauze and cleaner. By the time they arrived at Bethesda Tim's hand was cleaned and bandaged, but Nick was fighting consciousness. They rushed Nick into surgery and Tim was left with a nurse who would stitch his hand.

Half an hour later Tony and Ziva found Tim in the waiting room, head down and his hands wrapped around a coffee.

"Hey, McGee. How's your friend?" Tony asked as they settled on either side of him.

"Clean stab wound, but it went through some major muscle tissue. He'll be in physical therapy for a long time, and will probably have limited use of his arm. The nurse said he'll be in surgery for a while."

"The nurse? You did not talk to a doctor?" Ziva leaned forward.

Tim shook his head. "It's been a busy day and I'm not family." He spat out.

Tony relaxed back into his seat and squeezed Tim's shoulder briefly. "Hey, at least you can tell your friend that DADT was repealed."

It took a moment for the news to register with Tim. He sat up in shock and stared at Tony. "What?" Tim pulled out his phone and saw the several news alerts he had missed. He read the announcement and a grin spread over his face. "Finally." He said quietly, though Tony and Ziva heard him anyway.

Tony grasped the arms of the chair and frowned. "Why do I get the feeling I'm missing something? You know his boyfriend or something?" Tony asked, eyebrow raised. Ziva watched her friend as he tried to come up with a response.

"Tim… are you…" She fumbled, not wanting to say the wrong thing, but needing to ask. Tim nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. He kept his gaze on the floor, not wanting to know how his partners were going to react to the news.

Tony turned towards Tim. "Wait a sec. Are you saying that you _are_ the boyfriend?"

Tim knew he needed to stand up for himself. He took a deep breath, sat up and looked Tony in the eyes. "Yeah, Tony, I am. Nick and I have been together for two years."

Tony simply stared at his partner, and Tim could register horror in the man's eyes. Tim stood to get away from him, not wanting to fight but Tony grabbed his arm and stood to meet him. Tim wrenched his arm from Tony's grasp and the senior agent seemed shocked by the action.

"McGee… Tim… I'm… I'm not going to hurt you!" Tony insisted.

Tim frowned and stepped back. "Then why do you look like I'm the last person you want to see right now?"

"Because I know how much I've hurt you already!" Tony collapsed back into his seat and fisted his hair."I'm an insensitive asshole who doesn't think before he talks. All those gay jokes… dammit! If I'd known you were gay I wouldn't have said a word." Tony's voice was muffled by his elbows. Tim took a hesitant step forward and knelt in front of his friend.

"You shouldn't have said them either way."

"I know. I'm growing up, it's just taking a while." Tony moaned.

Tim chuckled. "Yeah, but I think you just moved up a level." He chucked Tony's chin and was surprised to see how upset the man really was. His eyes were full of pain for hurting his friend. Tim decided to lighten the mood. "Well, you got one thing wrong."

"Yeah, what's that?" Tony asked morosely.

Tim shrugged. "I'm not gay."

Tony's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "But what about Nick? I thought you said you two were together."

Tim struggled to stand with only one hand and his aching muscles. Ziva pulled him up. He smirked down at Tony. "I like women just as much as I like men, it just happened that the person I love is a guy."

"So it is serious?" Ziva asked.

Tim nodded and pulled the two necklaces he now wore from around his neck. He showed them the charms. "We got these at Christmas."

"That's great, Tim!" Ziva said and hugged him. He gave her a soft smile and returned the embrace. "But you did not need DADT to be repealed. Everyone knows that Nick is gay because he was targeted by Jennings." Ziva pointed out. Tim grinned.

"Yeah, but now we can live together and Nick won't get a dishonorable discharge." Tony raised an eyebrow. "He has to be available at his own residence unless he's on leave, and there would have been questions if I was seen staying overnight. Now we can get our own place and no one can say anything." Tim said, smiling as he looked down at the charms in his fingers.

A voice spoke up behind them. "Let me know when you need help moving." Gibbs came in and handed Tim a fresh coffee from the café near the hospital. Ducky and Abby were behind him. Tim froze when he saw Abby, immediately going over all of the worst situations in his head.

She flew at him and he braced himself for a punch but instead, her arms wrapped around him in a tight Abby-hug. "I'm so happy for you, Timmy!" Tim stared wide eyed over her shoulder at Gibbs, who was suppressing a laugh, and Ducky, who was outright grinning.

"Uh… thanks, Abs." She pulled back and saw his hand.

"Oh my gosh are you okay? How is Nick? Have you been able to see him?" She asked, eyes wide.

Ducky came over and examined Tim's bruised jaw and neatly wrapped hand. "Sorry, Ducky. The nurse got to me before you could. Twenty stitches and I have to watch for infection. I hurt everywhere, too. I'm not used to actually beating the crap out of someone."

"Quite all right, my boy. I'll take a look when the bandage needs to be changed." He said and stepped back. "How is Nicholas?"

Tim sighed and sat. He wished he knew more. "Last I heard he was still in surgery but they expect it to go well. He's going to have limited mobility and a lifetime of PT, but as long as he can still use a computer he'll be happy and hopefully won't be reassigned." Gibbs gave Ducky a look, and Ducky nonchalantly walked in the direction of the nurse's station. He often used his status to get information on patients.

"So is that what the phone thing has been about today?" Tony asked.

Tim nodded. "I had it set to send me an alert whenever a news article about DADT was posted. Nick did the same." Something occurred to him. "What happened to Jennings?"

Gibbs' face was blank. "I updated the director. He's… having a word… with Jennings before the guy goes to holding. We'll interrogate him later tonight."

Tim didn't know what to say. The director was defending them? He suddenly found he needed to sit.

"Tim?"

"Probie?"

"McGee?"

Voices called out but he didn't hear them. His head was suddenly throbbing and he felt sick. Cool hands were on his face and he blinked several times, finally seeing Ducky in front of him.

"Sorry, Duck." Tim mumbled. "Head hurts."

"No worries, Timothy. It seems you have a bit of a concussion. Did they give you any painkillers?" Tim went to nod but stopped and clenched his teeth to keep the world from spinning. It failed.

The next thing Tim knew, he was waking up in a bed. The room was dark, but he could just barely see someone sleeping in the chair next to him. He thought back to what had happened. Ducky said something about a concussion, had he passed out?

"Boss?" He asked, surprised to find his voice hoarse. The man in the chair was up instantly and Tim noticed that he was too tall to be Gibbs.

"I hope you don't usually wake up to find your boss sleeping next to you. I might have to protest."

Tim struggled to sit up. "Nick? What… you're in surgery…"

Nick chuckled and pushed against Tim's chest with his good arm. Tim relaxed and lay back down. "That was two days ago, Tim. It's Thursday."

"Two days? I thought I just had a concussion."

Nick sat on the bed by his lover's waist and combed Tim's hair to the side with his right hand. The other was in a sling, tightly bound to his chest. Tim reached up to grab his hand and intertwined their fingers together. Nick's sparkling blue eyes were laced with concern, and he looked as though he wasn't sleeping well. "You did, but then you had a bad reaction to the medication they gave you. They had to flush it out of your system and then give you the right stuff, which knocked you out because all you had in your stomach was coffee. I've warned you about not eating." Nick glared at Tim, who grinned sheepishly.

"I was busy." Tim protested. "Wait, two days? Jethro!" Tim's eyes widened as he thought of his loyal dog, probably prancing around anxiously and starving.

Nick leaned down to lightly kiss Tim's forehead, resting his own on it so their noses bumped. "Abby took care of him. He's staying with Agent Gibbs for a few days. And I can't help being worried. I love you."

Tim kissed the corner of his lover's mouth. "I love you, too." Someone cleared their throat and Nick sat up quickly, looking sheepishly at the doorway.

"Giiiibbs, why did you have to ruin it? I was watching that." Abby protested. Tim started to sit up until Nick turned to glare at him. He rested back against the pillows with his hands up in surrender. Abby and Gibbs entered with a nurse in tow. "You two are so cute!"

"Abs…" Gibbs warned. Nick moved off the bed so the nurse could check on Tim.

"Agent McGee, how are you feeling?" The nurse asked.

Tim took a moment to self-assess and was surprised with what he found. "I feel fine. Really, boss, I do. I'm a little sore and my head hurts a bit but other than that, I feel fine." He insisted. He took a moment when the nurse raised her eyebrow. "And I want a shower." He said with a playful glare.

She grinned. "There it is. Okay, let's get you sitting up and moving, but slowly. You've been asleep, so you're fine to go as long as you can move on your own." Tim nodded in agreement. Three hours later, Tim and Nick had their arms wrapped around each other as they walked out of the hospital. Tim reluctantly agreed to allow Jethro to stay with Gibbs for a few more days while they got settled in Tim's apartment. Nick and Tim both had been given medical leave and would have to pass a psych eval before they could return to work.

A week later Tim woke to something wet on his foot. The cold nose nudged the bottom of his highly ticklish feet and he squeaked, quickly bringing his foot under the blanket.

"Now that's a noise I haven't heard in a while." Nick murmured sleepily next to him.

Tim slowly sat up. "Yeah, I think I might ban him from the bedroom. At least he's a good alarm."

Nick rolled out of the bed, careful not to jar his shoulder. "And at least the townhouse has a room we can put him in." They had spent the week relaxing and apartment shopping, finally deciding they wanted something nicer and with a yard, for Jethro. The townhouse was in a nice neighborhood in between the Academy and NCIS, though they would have to drive a bit to get to the church and their favorite café. It was a full month before they could officially move in together, since DADT wouldn't be obsolete until September 20, but since they were on leave, it didn't matter where they stayed.

"Come on, we can't be late." Nick said, sending a resigned smile in the direction of his sleep-tousled lover.

An hour later found Tim standing with the NCIS crew, watching Nick stand to attention in his dress uniform as Petty Officer McMillan was placed into the ground. Nick reverently placed the folded flag in McMillan's sister's hands and only Tim could see the flash of pain in his eyes. They had spent a long time talking about the case, making sure that they were both okay after what had happened. Some nights it had taken an extra bottle of wine, but most had simply ended with the two wrapped in each other's arms, talking, loving, or watching yet another film from the list of 'must sees' Tony had given them.


End file.
